CONCORD, N.C. – On the heels of her second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Toyota Racing Development driver Hailie Deegan has announced a seven race deal to drive for Venturini Motorsports.
Deegan will make six ARCA Menards Series appearances and one NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start behind the wheel of VMS-prepared Toyota Camrys this year.
The 17-year old from Temecula, Calif., will make her ARCA debut at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on May 19. She’ll also compete in ARCA events at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on May 31, Madison (Wis.) Int’l Speedway on June 14, Elko (Minn.) Speedway on July 13, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on Oct. 5 and Kansas Speedway on Oct. 18.
Deegan and VMS will also pair for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 15.
Throughout her upcoming ARCA schedule Deegan will feature continued support from longtime marketing partner Monster Energy, Craftsman and newcomer iK9.
“This is a big step for me,” Deegan said during NASCAR Xfinity Series practice on Friday. “I feel like getting on these bigger tracks, Kansas, Pocono, tracks that I haven’t gotten to do before, pit stops, it’s going to be a big thing for me just learning before I get up to these higher levels.
“It’s another stepping stone that Toyota and TRD have given me the opportunity to do before I move into a Truck or an Xfinity Series car.”
Last year, Deegan etched her name in NASCAR’s record books by becoming the first female to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series event, as well as the first female driver to earn rookie-of-the-year honors in any NASCAR regional or national series.
The daughter of legendary X Games Motocross giant Brian Deegan, Hailie Deegan began her driving career at the age of eight, racing dirt on four wheels. She’s the only female driver in the Lucas Oil Off Road Pro series or Regional series to win a championship (2013, 15-16), along with being the only youth ever to win the Lucas Oil Off Road Pro series Driver of the Year Award (2016).
A member of the TRD family, Deegan’s upcoming ARCA effort will coincide with her full-season schedule in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driving for Bill McAnally Racing.